Dashiell Bennett

Allen Iverson is not used to this "not starting" thing and it does not agree with his constitution. How can he be expected to take all those shots in such a short amount of time?

Iverson has been relegated to bench duty since returning from a back injury that kept him out for the last month. But A.I. cannot start and stop like normal humans. He need time to get into his rhythm. He needs breathing room. And now that he sees how the other half lives, he doesn't like it one bit.

"I'm in a position now that I've never been in my whole life," Iverson told the Associated Press. "It's harder than I thought it would be. With the back injury, I have to sit out at the start, then go in, then sit again. It's tough to really get going. I take my hat off to the guys who can come off the bench and be effective. It's tough for me. I'm struggling with it."

"I'd rather retire before I do this again," he said. said. "I can't be effective playing this way. I'm not used to it. It's tough for me both mentally and physically. If I'm able to go out there, I should be able to get it done and I can't right now. It's my fault. I have to be able to overcome the adversity and do what I have to do. I just have to find a way to get it done. Not being 100 percent makes it harder, and you can see that I'm not 100 percent."

Gee, I guess someone is struggling to come to terms with the fading of youthful abilities and how it augurs the cold dark embrace of his own impending mortality. Lighten up, would ya?